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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · march · face · stem · wave · mouse · stick · fall

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fall — the season
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. face — part of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com